Plant Guide

Cowpea : Big Red Ripper

As many as 18 large peas per pod, very heat resistant, used fresh or dry

An heirloom variety from North Carolina and Virginia. Large number of peas per pod. A good flavored table pea with 10" long pods containing as many as 18 large peas per pod! Reddish-green pods are borne high and are easy to see in the foliage. The vines are resistant to very hot, dry summers. Use fresh or dried. Very popular in Texas.

This is an example of the timeline you would see based on your growing conditions.

Cowpea: Southern Pea

Big Red Ripper

Southern Peas, or "Cowpeas" as they are commonly known by the Yankees, are thought to have originated in Africa. They were brought to the United States in early Colonial times during the slave trade. They became a staple food in the Southeastern U.S. where they are eaten as green shelled peas or left to dry on the vine for later use.

Cowpeas are grown under both irrigated and non-irrigated regimes. The crop responds positively to irrigation but will also produce well under dryland conditions.

Cowpea is more drought resistant than the common bean. Drought resistance is one reason that the Cowpea is such an important crop in many underdeveloped parts of the world. If irrigation is used, more vegetative growth and some delay in maturity may result. Application rates should insure that the crop is not over-watered, especially in Northern latitudes, as this will suppress growth by lowering soil temperatures. The most critical moisture requiring period is just prior to and during bloom.

Do not apply nitrogen, which will result in poor yield and lush foliage. The ability of southern peas to grow in poor soil is quite remarkable.

Cowpea, like all legumes, forms a symbiotic relationship with a specific soil bacterium (Rhizobium spp.). Rhizobium makes atmospheric nitrogen available to the plant by a process called nitrogen fixation. Fixation occurs in root nodules of the plant and the bacteria utilize sugars produced by the plant. Although cowpea Rhizobium is normally widespread, seed inoculation with Rhizobium specific to the Cowpea would be beneficial in areas where it is not present. Always use Rhizobium of the Cowpea type.